Chapter 133

Brenda paused for a moment and glanced at Phoebe, who gave her a slight nod and pointed at her phone. Brenda made an OK gesture to Phoebe before turning to Finnian. “Tad, now that I am back, I am not planning to go abroad again.”

Finnian was clearly patient with his daughter. “Did you have another fight with Frank?”

Brenda replied. “This time, we are completely done.”

Finnian was surprised. “What happened!”

Brenda told him the truth. “He was fooling around with his secretary while keeping me on the hook. I have had enough, so I dumped him. There are plenty of men in this world. Even without him, I will be perfectly happy.”

She could not help but add, “And good women are everywhere too. Being single can be just as fulfilling. People should not let love take over their entire life.”

A light chuckle came from Finnian. “Brenda, it seems you have matured a lot. As long as you are happy. Frank two-timing you is bad enough, and the Harvey family is complicated. Marrying him would not have been a good choice.”

“I told you before he was not a good match, but you refused to listen and insisted on chasing after him abroad.”

If this had been before, Brenda would have definitely talked back. After all, his obsession with Ophelia was just as bad. But the fact that Finnian had already been cheated on was already pitiful enough.

Brenda held back her usual retort and simply said, “I understand that now.”

Finnian chuckled. “Brenda, you are beautiful and capable. You will definitely meet someone better than Frank.”

Brenda lifted her chin slightly. “Of course.”

Then, she changed the subject. “Dad, I have no interest in love right now; I am feeling really motivated when it comes to my career. Why do you not arrange for me to work at Hill Group? I have shares in the company.”

This was something Phoebe had told Brenda to ask.

Finnian had clearly not expected Brenda to say this. He was silent for a moment before finally saying, “Now is not the right time. Wait a little longer.”

Brenda pretended to be upset. “You and Ophelia are the same, always favoring Soren.”

Finnian did not get angry. Instead, he said, “Do not worry. Whatever he has, you will have, too.”

Then he added, “I have some urgent business to handle. We will talk later.”

Knowing that he did not want to continue the topic, Brenda sighed, “Fine, but you have to promise me one thing.”

“What is it?” Finnian asked.

Brenda playfully whined, “You have to take me out for a meal tomorrow. And I found a jewelry set I like. You are buying it for me.”

Finnian’s tone carried both exasperation and indulgence. “Alright, I will take you shopping tomorrow.”

Brenda grinned. “Now that is more like it. Bye, Dad.”

After hanging up, Brenda turned to Phoebe. “Pheebs, did you figure something out?”

Brenda was curious why Phoebe had suddenly told her to bring up working at Hill Group. She had never liked Soren before, and now, she wanted to see him even less.

Phoebe answered honestly, “Your dad seems to know something. And honestly, I do not think he called just to ask about the horoscope artifact. Instead, he was guiding you, suggesting you go to your grandmother.”

In the Hill family, the one person Ophelia feared the most was Brenda’s grandmother, Theresa Hill.

Hearing that, Brenda thought back carefully. “You are right. Every time Ophelia asked my dad to deal with me and Reece, Dad always went easy on us, like he was just putting on a show for her.”

Brenda’s expression turned odd. “Do you think my dad already knows he has been cheated on?”

Phoebe replied, “It is possible. Especially with the way he spoke just now. Phrases like ‘Now is not the right time’ and ‘whatever Soren has, you will have, too.’ Those sound pretty deliberate. I do not think your dad is really a love-struck fool.”

A true love-struck fool would put love above everything else, to the point where his children would not even matter. If he were truly that obsessed with Ophelia, he would have followed her orders without question. During that call, he would have spoken much more harshly, maybe even outright demanding that Brenda handed over the horoscope artifact.

The most surprising thing to Phoebe was that Finnian had actually taken the initiative to give Brenda advice, to go to Theresa for help. Finnian certainly knew that the person Ophelia feared the most was Theresa. That made this situation all the more intriguing.

The more Brenda thought about it, the more she felt Phoebe had a point. She frowned in confusion. “Then what is my dad after?”

“He knows Ophelia cheated on him but still stays with her? Has he lost his mind?” Brenda thought to herself.

Phoebe pondered for a moment. “There must be something more to this. And have you noticed an interesting coincidence? Soren, Sienna, and Edith are half-siblings. They share the same father but have three different mothers.”

Brenda could not hold back her sarcasm. “Their dad must be an animal. Does he do nothing but breed? But honestly, this does not feel right. Why is everything lining up so perfectly!”

Then, with a look of disdain, she added, “Ophelia has such terrible taste. She actually had an affair with him and even had an illegitimate child.”

But Phoebe saw the bigger picture. “She must have known that Sienna was that man’s daughter, which is why she has always taken special care of her. There is a secret here that we do not know about.”

Brenda nodded. “Definitely.”

Then she asked, “Should I still warn my dad that he is being cheated on?” Brenda had originally planned to bring it up during their meal tomorrow so he could be on guard.

Phoebe thought for a moment before suggesting, “Yes, use it as a test. If he does not know, at least he will be prepared and can guard against whatever Ophelia and Soren might do to him. If he already knows, then you should stay out of it.”

If Finnian knew and still chose to endure it, that would mean he had his own reasons and was already prepared.

Brenda trusted Phoebe’s judgment. “Alright, I will do as you say.”

As they spoke, the document on Brenda’s phone finished downloading. She opened it, scanned through it, and her expression shifted into one of surprise. “Pheebs, the detective found something on Frank and Edith. You will never guess what their relationship is.”

Phoebe was intrigued. “What’s it?”

Brenda looked up. “They could be considered siblings, I guess.”

“Siblings? But I checked before, and they are not related by blood.”

Phoebe froze for a moment. “What? Siblings? But…”

Brenda’s expression was hard to describe. “Edith is the daughter of Frank’s stepmother and her ex-husband. Patricia brought Edith with her when she married into the Harvey family. But Edith’s true identity was never made public. She was kept in the Harvey residence under the guise of being Patricia’s niece.”

Phoebe had not expected Edith’s background to be this complicated. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Frank kept Edith close for a reason, then.”

Brenda had told her before that Frank’s life in the Harvey family had not been easy. Once his stepmother entered the picture, his father no longer favored him. Then Patricia had a son of her own, who became Frank’s direct rival for control of the Harvey family.

Frank had been raised by his grandparents. If not for them, Patricia might have ruined him or even gotten rid of him entirely.

Because of the support of his grandfather, Wallace, Frank was able to go abroad to start a company and compete with his father, Manfred. Wallace’s shares had become a prize that both Frank and Manfred had to fight for.

‘Families are always complicated. No wonder Finnian said the Harvey family was too messy and that Frank was not a good match for Brenda. Or maybe… Finnian knows even more than he is letting on,’ Phoebe thought.